Step into Victorian London, shrouded in fog and dark alleys, and follow the most brilliant detective in history as he tackles cases that defy logic and test courage. Each story in this volume is a gateway to suspense, where nothing is as it seems and every detail could hold the key to uncovering the truth. Richly detailed settings, complex characters, and intricate puzzles challenge the reader’s intelligence and patience. Sherlock Holmes: BOOK XII is not just a collection of new stories; it is a journey through cunning reasoning and the labyrinths of the human mind, presenting cases that seem impossible to solve. Prepare to unravel mysteries that will captivate you from beginning to end—because in Holmes’ London, nothing is ever truly simple. # THE SCANDALOUS ARREST OF HOLMES “When the most precious jewel in the British Crown disappears under mysterious circumstances, all evidence seems to point to Sherlock Holmes himself as the thief. Faced with a scandal that rocks London to its core, Watson finds himself torn between reason and loyalty, while Mycroft attempts, from the shadows, to piece together the truth.” # THE BALLANTYNE BANQUET “Rarely can one see a case so shrouded in luxury, mystery, and disbelief as that which occurred at the mansion of the Ballantynes, one of England's wealthiest and oldest families. The splendor of a banquet intended to impress the nobility of the kingdom turned, the next morning, into a stratospheric scandal that shook high society. Called in to investigate what appeared to be an impossible theft, Sherlock Holmes faced a puzzle that left logic itself in complete confusion.” # THE ITALIAN TIE “On a rainy February morning, Inspector Lestrade desperately seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes. An old friend and fellow police officer, Sergeant Harold Baines, has disappeared without a trace. In the small house where he lived alone, everything indicates that there was a struggle. And the only visible clue, an Italian tie lying on the floor, does not seem to be very relevant to the case. But Holmes, with his clinical eye and logical reasoning, sees in it something that escapes common sense.” # THE BLURRED MANUSCRIPT “When a respected curator at a major London Museum is found dead in mysterious circumstances, a sheet of paper stained with ink and mystery becomes the center of an intrigue that defies all reason. Called in to investigate, Sherlock Holmes realizes that the secret lies not in what can be seen, but in what has been deliberately concealed.” # THE GHOST BRIDE “In an isolated rural town in England, residents live in terror of an apparition that defies any rational explanation. At midnight, on certain nights of the month, a luminous figure, a woman dressed as a bride, appears at the entrance to the old local cemetery. She floats silently, enveloped in a whitish mist, until, at the slightest step toward her, she lets out a piercing scream and lunges at anyone who dares to face her. And it seems that Holmes and Watson will have their work cut out for them in this strange new case.”